Kristian Campbell Wins Red Sox Second Base Battle

On Sunday night, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reported that Kristian Campbell will become the first member of the Big Three Red Sox prospects to debut in Boston. Campbell will break camp with the Red Sox, which almost certainly means that the second base job, the subject of discussion throughout spring training, belongs to him. Campbell came into spring training in a competition with David Hamilton and Vaughn Grissom, although there was also much speculation that a newly signed Alex Bregman could take the position. As spring progressed, Bregman played third base exclusively, leaving second wide open.

Campbell was a far cry from impressing during spring training, batting .174 and striking out more than 30% of the time for a 61 wRC+. However, he was consistently spectacular on defense, and Alex Cora praised the adjustments he made as camp progressed. At the beginning of camp, Campbell was letting his nerves get the best of him and swinging outside the strike zone too much. As he settled in, he was able to return to the approach the won him the Baseball America’s 2024 Minor League Player of the Year honors. While the results haven’t followed, the approach is there and that was enough for the Red Sox to hand the starting job to a 22-year-old rookie. And really, the sky is the limit.

With an improved swing path and an emphasis on driving the ball in the air, Campbell tore his way through three levels of the minor leagues last season, hitting a slashing .330/.439/.558 with 20 home runs and 24 stolen before finishing in triple-A Worcester (as did Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer). While Campbell will be the first to taste the big, his compatriots shouldn’t be too far behind him.

With the top half of Boston’s batting order firmly entrenched, Campbell will likely slot into the bottom third in some combination with Abreu and Rafaela. If spring training is any indication, he will likely take his lumps as he tries to get his legs under him at the major league level. Sliding him into the bottom of the lineup allows him to get consistent at-bats without putting a lot of pressure to succeed immediately. As the Red Sox had the confidence to give him the starting job out of spring training, they likely won’t be too quick to react if he struggles early. Remember back to Dustin Pedroia and Tristan Casas, who both struggled mightily in ther first two montsh in Boston before ultimately turning it around and finishing first and third in the Rookie of the Year voting, respectively. Campbell should be given some leash to run with here. If for any reason things go catastrophically bad, the Red Sox still have David Hamilton, who will now likely be used in a utility role. Regardless of Cambell’s performance, expect to see Hamilton around the infield as key players need to rest their legs.